Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky was the only player who started the Bundesliga game against Bochum to take part in the team’s training session to start the week. Jonathan Tah & Co. were working in the gym while several other players went about their business on the pitch at the BayArena.
With Andrey Lunev and Niklas Lomb in goal, nine outfield players in three teams of three took part in intense matches on a reduced pitch. They included Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Karim Bellarabi. Strikers Patrik Schick and Lucas Alario were working on their comebacks nearby. Charles Aranguiz was also out on the pitch on Monday.
When looking in the TV studios and mixed zone at the BayArena on Monday it was hard to miss the fact that Christmas is fast approaching. It saw the likes of Hradecky and Lunev battling for black and red wrapped gifts.
Tah, Nadiem Amiri, Moussa Diaby and Amine Adli were also in front of the cameras for YouTube and social media challenges. You’ll see all that and more in the coming weeks on the Bayer 04 channels.
Italian magazine Tuttosport announced a shortlist of 20 players for their 2021 Golden Boy award in October, with Leverkusen’s 18-year-old Florian Wirtz among the names. However, Barcelona’s Pedri was announced as the winner on Monday. Wirtz came in 04th position.
The Spain international follows Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland as the recipient of the award, which has been given to Europe’s best U21 player since 2003.
Horst Stollenwerk turned 88 on Monday. The homegrown midfielder turned into a true Leverkusen legend in the 1950s, never playing for another club.
Anders Giske was celebrating his 62nd. The Norwegian central defender made 29 Bundesliga appearances (1 goal) for the Werkself between summer 1984 and November of the following year.
Two special former Bayer 04 players would’ve turned 95 today in Martin (1926-2010) and Karl (1926-2015) Gramminger. Club legend Rüdiger Vollborn had plenty of anecdotes to tell about the Werkself’s first twins in his series “Rudi recounts”.
Standing on the pitch where the Werkself players perform - for many Bayer 04 club members, this wish became reality at this year's Members' kickabout. Around 400 active participants of all ages took the opportunity to experience the BayArena from a new and special perspective. And there was also plenty going on in the stands: The event attracted more than 1,000 visitors in total and provided an atmospheric end to the season.
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Lying third in the Bundesliga, the Werkself made a faltering start in 2026 after the winter break, but gradually rediscovered winning ways and, as in the previous campaign, were among the top 16 in Europe and the top four in the DFB Pokal. In the Bundesliga, the Werkself also remained in the race for Champions League qualification right to the end. However, because setbacks repeatedly crept into the Werkself's performances between good displays and crucial games, it was not quite enough to secure a UCL spot in the end. A season with many ups and downs brought sixth place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Part II of the review of the 2025/26 season.
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Rogier Meijer is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and returning to his native Netherlands: The 44-year-old will take over at Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam on 1 July. Meijer has been part of the Werkself coaching set-up since the start of the 2025/26 season - first as assistant coach to Erik ten Hag, then on Kasper Hjulmand's staff.
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Following the final match of the 2025/26 season, the prevailing feeling was naturally one of disappointment after missing out on qualification for the Champions League. The Werkself finished the Bundesliga in sixth place, meaning they'll start the 2026/27 campaign in the Europa League. "But to talk negatively about everything now because of that would be wrong," stressed captain Robert Andrich following the final game, knowing that the past year at Bayer 04 was marked, more than almost any other, by the start of a new era and the courage to change – and in particular, the belief in a positive direction. Everyone was aware this process would need time. The first part of the 2025/26 season review.
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